Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1887-05-17
Standard Oil People and Con-
spiracy.

The oil conspiracy suit that has
been under trial at Buffalo for some
days past may fail to result in con-
victions, but it has brought into prom
inence the methods alleged against
the Standard Oil Trust, and has ellie
tied useful information as to the ma
turc of the trust itself. The suit
rested upon charge made by the
Buffalo Lubricating Oil Company to
the effect that certain of the Standard
Oil people engaged in the manage
ment of the Vacuum Oil Company,
one of the corporations controlled by
the trust. conspired to blow up its
stills and ruin it's business, bribing
the manager of the Lubricating Oil
Company's works to mismanage its
affairs. Evidence was adduced to
show that the manager of the pros
ecuting company's stills built excess
sively hot fires on several occasions,
with the object apparently of explod-
ing them, and was found afterward on
each occasion at the rival works over
the way watching to see the explosion
take place. 1t was also testified that
the alleged traitorous manager was
supported afterwards in idlencss by
the Standard Oil people ct big sal
airy. The conclusion sought to he
established was that the defendants
committed crimes to prevent cOmpc-
tition, and for the loss incurred the
Lubricating Oil Company asked dam
ages of 100000. a feature of the
trial was the testimony of John d..
Rockefeller, president of the STAN
dard Oil Company and the chief spirit
of the trust which controls the STAN
dard and the hundred other corpora
tons through which q monopoly of
the oil business of the United States
has been secured. Mr.. Rockefeller,
who, it appears, is forty times n mil
lionairc, testified as to the nature of
the Standard Oil Trust. 1t is not
an incorporation" he said; sit is
not copartncrslIip. 1t was created
by an instrument in w-iting.' 1t has
no such existence as subjects it to
legal assault. 1t is as invisible rs
it is powerful. In reply to qucs-
ton, Mr. Rockefeller stated that the
trust was not manufacturing com
pany. We have an executive COM
mittce," he said. explaining how af-
fairs were managed, iwho are the
trustees or cuStodians of the stock of
the various refining companies in the
trust. The stock represents property
in the United States and small inter-
ests in other parts of tie world. -
The custom, it seems, was for the
Standard Oil people, as individuals,
to purchase properties, or enough
stock to give control, and then place
the stock in the custody of the set OF
persons known as the trust, mutual
confidence and identity of interests
being the elements of the cooperative
monopoly thus established. The
wealth of this monopoly to-day is
stated to be $50, 900, 900. and its net
profits last year were said to be S25,,
600, 900. With this imperial income
for purposes of attack, and its elusive
character when put upon the dcfen-
sive, there is little wonder that it is
able to continue, even at this late day,
the methods of destroying competi-
ton to which it owes its growth. Our
legislatures produce great deal OF
law. When the executive function
of the State government is invigorat-
ed by instructed public opinion to the
point of enforcing it, combinations to
use lawfully-obtained charters for
vicious ends may he cffectuallv pre-
ventcd.-Balimore San, Nay ~.